Riverwalk Trail Northerly Extension

 

Location

3rd Street, C Street

City or County Responsible for Project

City of West Sacramento

Category

Complete Streets Projects

Description

The City of West Sacramento has been prioritizing investments in planning, deindustrialization, and infrastructure improvements in order to facilitate redevelopment and create vital neighborhoods along the Sacramento River. The City’s vision for transforming the underutilized riverfront includes recreational access to the river and enhanced pedestrian, bicycle, and transit mobility.

The Washington District (District) is a 194-acre area bound by the Tower Bridge Gateway on the south, the Sacramento River on the east, A Street on the north, and portions of 6th Street and 8th Street on the west. Located along West Sacramento’s riverfront and within a mile of downtown Sacramento, the Washington District is an area that has potential for sustainable, mixed-use development.

Today, the City’s dedication is apparent throughout the riverfront. In 2011, the neighborhood earned a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “Sustainable Community” designation to fund planning efforts. On February 18, 2015, City Council adopted the Washington Realized document, a strategy intended to shift development patterns towards compact, transit served and mixed-use development. Revitalization plans feature 3,300 residences, 2.4 million square feet of commercial office and 350,000 square feet of retail. The Complete Community Strategy in Washington Realized recommended that investments in the northern waterfront section of the District should be focused on:

• Paved path connections that enhance security between D Street and the Broderick Boat ramp.
• Enhancing and reinforcing the public nature of circulation connections to the waterfront.
• Supporting and encouraging private development that activates the Riverwalk upon the completion of the new C Street Bridge Improvements.

The Project has been split into two phases. Construction for the first phase of the project has been complete and it implemented one of the key components of the Washington Realized document by constructing an important missing segment of the Riverwalk Trail from the existing Riverwalk near the I Street Bridge northward along the levee to the Broderick Boat Ramp. The project constructed a continuous pedestrian/bicycle trail along the riverfront area and includes an extension of the pedestrian access path to the west, along D Street and 2nd Street, into the heart of the Washington District at 3rd Street.

This phase also included streetscape improvements on the west side of 3rd Street between C and D Street and on C Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, and a mid-block crossing on 3rd Street between D Street and E Street. The streetscape improvements include wide sidewalks, street trees, and high-visibility crossings for improved pedestrian safety.

The second phase of the Project will implement an at-grade pedestrian crossing at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing on 3rd Street which will further improve pedestrian safety at this location.